


This Is The Way

by little_shadow_1986



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:41:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21745447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_shadow_1986/pseuds/little_shadow_1986
Summary: Even the Mandalorian has needs. Does the woman who helps him fulfill them have secrets of her own, though?
Relationships: The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

Just like he instructed, she kept her head down, eyes forward, never looking back as he gripped her waist with both of his strong hands, his pelvis slamming into hers over and over rhythmically as both breathed heavily between moans and growls of appreciation. On hands and knees, she had waited undressed and patient for him as he stripped only the necessary layers, leaving the helmet and his shirt on, but peeling away the rest of his armour and the gloves that would come between his palms and her warm, velveteen skin. His trousers were bunched around his ankles, and he seemed barely even aware of her presence at all as he vented all his excess energy and desire into her with each thrust of his hips.  
She was nameless like he was faceless. The Imperial credits waited on the bedside table as promised; half upfront, half when he was finished. She had been wary of the Mandalorian at first, but considered the potential for a greater profit if he tried to stiff her; the Beskar steel he wore would fetch her more than a small fortune, and she felt confident she could relieve him of its weight if he tried any funny business. Either way, she was being paid handsomely.  
His panting grew more ragged. Each jerk of his hips became more erratic and urgent as he buried himself deep inside her warmth, bruising her hips with the severity of his grip. She mewled lowly and arched her back, pressing more of her weight against him until she was grinding against the base of his already throbbing length, contracting her muscles tightly as she coaxed his release from him.  
That's all it took. His fingers almost pierced her skin as he impaled her one last time, groaning erotically, the sound echoing within the confines of his helmet as he expended what felt like a year's worth of pent up seed deep inside her. For the longest heartbeat, there was nothing but the sound of him breathing to calm his pulse again, but a moment later she heard the shuffle of his trousers being pulled back up, followed by the jangle of his armour slotting back into place.  
“The other half.” He produced the credits without ceremony and placed them with the others, before turning to leave. He paused at the door, hand hovering at the drapes as he seemed lost in contemplation, before turning back to her. “Does it bother you?”  
“What? What I do?” she shrugged. “We survive in whatever way we can.”  
He shook his head. “That I didn't remove it.”  
As he gestured to his helmet, she tilted her head to the side and considered his question. She had gathered the sheets around herself and was sitting leisurely amongst the pillows as she seemed to appraise him slowly before answering. “You paid for a service. It's not my place to be ‘bothered' by anything. Besides, this is the way. I have no place to question it.”  
He stayed frozen stoically as he peered at her, the helmet disguising the scrutiny of emotions behind his eyes, but finally he nodded, his voice quiet as he swept from the room.  
“This is the way.”


	2. Chapter 2

Three moons hung lazily in the night sky, providing just enough light to navigate the village streets comfortably, while lanterns cast a yellow glow from the windows of every dwelling. She sat in a shadowy corner of the cantina where no one would pay her any notice, and sipped at her tea while her eyes swept broad strokes over the room with learned wariness. It was quiet, with very few travelers passing through this quadrant unless they were looking for someplace to keep their heads down and their noses clean.  
Which is why the appearance of the Mandalorian had been so unexpected. Her mind hadn't shifted its focus from the encounter since he'd left as swiftly as he'd arrived. She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing on their lonely little dwarf of a planet; what was he running from, and why?  
A sudden chill pierced the atmosphere as the chatter fell silent, and eyes were magnetized to the precious alloy as he strode into the cantina with a calm nonchalance that was intended to deflect any attention, but in fact had the opposite effect. Every eyeball in the room swiveled towards him and stayed glued to him noiselessly for several beats, before growing bored of the Mandalorian’s lack of action, and turning back to their brews. Her own eyes didn't stray, though; movement by Mando's feet snagged her gaze and held tightly onto it. A tiny figure clothed in an oversized robe that obscured his feet and hung past his hands was toddling along behind the armored bounty hunter like a miniature green shadow.  
The bounty hunter lifted the child into a seat before taking one of his own, ordered something for the little foundling to eat, and surveyed the cantina casually for threats. His eyes passed right by her, not recognizing her, but acknowledging that she wasn't a threat and smoothly moving onto the men by the bar.  
Food came and the child lifted the broth to his lips, taking a long slurp as his ears wiggled contentedly and his toes wriggled beneath his robe.  
“A growing boy needs more than just bone broth you know.” She had sidled up to their table silently, adjusting her cowl around her neck as she prepared to leave.  
There was a momentary pause as the Mandalorian glanced up, curious as to how she had managed to approach without him noticing.  
“He seems partial towards slimy things. So, if you've got any suggestions, be my guest.”  
“All children are partial to slimy things at his age,” she laughed, then disappeared to speak with someone at the bar, placing a handful of credits down before returning to pull up a seat at the table. Pointedly ignoring the disapproving scowl only barely contained within the helmet, she smiled at the child warmly. “I hope he does feed you more than boring old broth, little one.”  
The child squeaked in amusement with a chitter of laughter and pushed the broth away.  
“He eats things he finds on the ground" Mando muttered defensively, “The broth is probably the best thing he's eaten all day. And he was happy with it until you intervened.”  
Swallowing down the bubbles of laughter trying to slip free, she nodded understandingly. “My apologies. I assure you that wasn't my intention.” She turned back to the child and gently nudged the bowl of broth back towards him. “Finish this, little one, and then you can have something else to satisfy your taste buds.”  
The Mandalorian watched the interaction silently, his shoulders slumping slightly as the child acquiesced and happily cradled the cup of broth in both hands to slurp down the rest. She was smiling patiently, even adoringly at the little creature devouring his soup with noisy gusto, before she gestured to the bartender to bring on over the main course.  
“How much for the night with your whore?”  
The scummy edge to the stranger's voice sent a shudder of repulsion down her spine as she glanced up at him in disgust. “You couldn't afford it.”  
Chuckling heartily, the uninvited interruption nodded his chin in the Mandalorian's direction. “I'm sure your master here would say otherwise.”  
“He is not my master. And I am not for sale. Not to the likes of you at least.”  
Mando's hand slid to his thigh holster, fingers twitching at his blaster as he readied for a fight. She wasn't his to protect, but he couldn't allow things to escalate when she had shown the kid so much kindness, and himself so much relief.  
Again the stranger boomed with laughter as he pointed at her wrist where her sleeve had crept up to reveal the brand scorched into her skin. Her face flushed red as she hastily tried to hide it again. “You wear the mark of one of the Empire's paid consorts. You were once bought by them, and now that they're no more, you are free game for anyone willing to empty their pockets. So,” he turned to the bounty hunter with a smug sneer, “Name the price.”  
“She's not mine to sell. And she already said no. Leave on your own two feet, or be removed without a pulse. Your choice.”  
He was on his feet, pushing his chair back calmly as he stalked towards the unsolicited barterer, blaster in hand and in sight, but not yet raising it, giving the slimy stranger an opportunity to walk away. All eyes were on the tense tableau as the chill returned to the atmosphere, with no one daring to say a word or try to intervene when it was none of their business. The child watched with a bemused, wide eyed gaze, sipping slowly at what remained of his soup.  
“One last chance. Leave.”  
“I see what this is. You bought her for yourself! Well, why not share the spoils, then?”  
The blaster scorched a clean hole through the pesterer, dropping him in a limp and lifeless lump on the floor before his hand could latch onto her wrist. The Mandalorian shifted his gaze from his own idle blaster still cold in his hand, to the blaster in hers. His masked gaze locked with hers as she calmly sheathed her weapon back beneath her robes. They both tilted their heads towards the child as his attention was distracted by the bowl of stew growing cold in front of him, using his hands to gobble it down with vigor, the excitement already long forgotten as the hearty slop dribbled down his chin.  
Slowly, shaking his head with a sigh at the kid, Mando looked back at the woman, head cocked slightly to the side.  
“Who are you?”  
Heartbeats counted the seconds of pensive pause before she answered quietly, “No one. Maybe I was once. I'm not any more.” She glanced about the room at the eyes averting their gaze and muttered a curse as she tossed a small handful of credits down on the table. “I have to go. All the best to you and your foundling, Mando. Take care of each other.”  
“Wait!” His plea was ignored as she strode hastily from the cantina, leaving him to stare after her with more questions left unanswered and an inexplicable need to ask them.


	3. Chapter 3

“Please, it’s all I have. I just need passage away from here. As soon as you exit hyperspace, you can dump me wherever we end up.”  
“Where exactly do you expect me to be able to spend those,” the pilot nodded at the foreign currency in her hand, and snorted in disbelief. “Beat it. I’m no chauffeur, you know. And if I was, I’d ask for a lot more than what you’re offering up there.”  
“Please! I can be of use on your ship. I’ll work to cover the debt. Just, please, I’m begging you.”  
The pilot walked his gaze up and down her figure, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he shrugged. “Yeah, I bet you could be of use.”  
“If you need passage, you can find it on my ship. Where are you headed?”  
She sighed softly, hanging her head in defeat as she turned slowly to face the Mandalorian as he approached calmly with the child floating behind him in his pod. “Nowhere you’re going. Besides, this kind gentleman has already accepted my offer.”  
Shaking his head emphatically, the pilot slapped his palm to the control panel to his right, depressing the large red button at its centre. “I definitely didn’t. You’re on your own, lady.” The rear-facing boarding ramp closed behind him, and moments later he was in the air, leaving her staring after him in agitation.  
“I can offer you safe passage,” the bounty hunter pressed again. “Whatever it is you’re running from, you’ll be safest with me, anyway.”  
Gritting her teeth, she breathed out slowly with a flare of her nostrils, before finally letting her shoulders slump, knowing she really had no other choice. The payment she was offering was unacceptable, even to the most desperate and debt-ridden pilots in the entire galaxy. Her eyes slid from the Mandalorian’s polished armored chest-plate to the child, whose wide-eyed innocent gaze forced a dejected groan of frustration past her lips.  
“Just get me off this planet.”  
“And then what?” the hunter tilted his head slightly as he peered through his helmet at her, waiting for her response, only speaking again when she failed to find the words to answer. “Do you even have anywhere to go?”  
Her shoulders sagged even more. She sighed. “No. I just can't stay here.”  
Mando considered asking why, the question conveyed silently with a subtle tilt of his head, but decided not to voice it. Instead, he gestured towards the Razor Crest, and wordlessly strode towards it with the child trailing along behind in his floating cot, his ears twitching curiously as he peered back at the woman as she hesitated. He held a tiny three fingered hand up to wave to her, and cooed at her with what she could only assume was a grin directed towards her, instantly melting the icy composure she had been trying to exude. She hung her head with a reluctant laugh, and followed the bounty hunter and his foundling with a disbelieving shake of her head.  
“You're not going to turn me in for a finder's fee or something to the nearest Imperialist, are you?”  
The Mandalorian seemed to freeze in his tracks at the words as he prepped the ship for take off, his finger hovering by a switch, before finally shaking his head. “I have no reason to. I promised safe passage. I'll take you as far as you need; I could benefit from putting some distance between myself and this place anyway.”  
The Crest was already in the air by the time she had gathered her thoughts again; the child was gurgling at her as he tried to climb onto her lap, reaching for the brand burnt onto her forearm, and she gently took his hand In hers to stop him.  
“Why are you helping me? What reward do you seek for this? I refuse to believe this is purely out of the kindness of your heart,” she paused, sucking in a breath as the child's ears twitched and his brow furrowed questioningly at her, making her rethink the sentiment as she corrected herself, “Obviously, you have kindness in you, but for me? It makes no sense when you could easily take advantage of having me on board.”  
He let her ramble, almost letting an exhalation of mirth slip past his lips at how animated her voice was, and the way her nose wrinkled with disbelief. He had, briefly at least, entertained the idea of keeping her to sell to the highest bidder just as she'd suspected, knowing someone would gladly relinquish a portion of their ill-gotten wealth in exchange for a woman of her skill. But almost as quickly as the notion flitted through his mind, it dissipated like a stowaway’s scream outside of the ship's airlock.  
When he spoke again, quietly, it was with the slightest tilt of his head, and though she couldn't see behind the helmet, she knew his eyes were locked on hers, and his gaze seemed to strip her of all her pretences with its intensity.  
“This is the way.”

Just as promised, the Mandalorian transported her as far from the danger of prying eyes as possible before needing to refuel. When they finally found a suitably isolated rock to set down on, there was a confused pause where neither of them knew what to say. He had his hand still wavering above the control panel as the boarding ramp lowered to the red dirt beneath them, while she knelt in front of the child and offered him the last of the treats she'd been sneaking to him from her pocket, delaying the inevitable goodbye. Her eyes refused to meet the bounty hunter's, and the smile she shared with the little green foundling was sad.  
“Where will you go from here?”  
Sighing softly, she closed her eyes in contemplation and shrugged her lips. “Nowhere most likely. There's a scrap market on this sorry excuse for a planet, so, I'll set up shop here. It's far enough away from actual civilization, so I'm sure the chances of me bumping into someone undesirable will be slim to none.” She paused, then chuckled dejectedly, “Or probably actually very high. But as long as they're not the sort of undesirables who want my head on a platter, I'll manage.”  
Mando cocked his head again, the movement almost indiscernible, but speaking volumes nonetheless.  
“Why would anyone want my head? You've been itching to ask me but didn't.”  
“Isn't my place,” he shrugged, “But yes, I have been wondering who you're running from. And why.” He shifted his weight slightly, shifting her attention from the way he was appraising her slowly from behind the security of the beskar shielding every lingering gaze. “Are you really that valuable?”  
Dipping her own gaze to the floor with her nose scrunched up pensively, she shrugged and sniffed a laugh. “I'm valuable enough that I'm still waiting for you to lock me in carbonite so you can collect the bounty.” She raised her chin defiantly and stared the Mandalorian in the eye. “I'm surprised you don't have a puck or fob that led you to me in the first place. You must be the only hunter who doesn't.”  
She felt his shock ripple through the air like a blast of desert air even if she couldn't see the wide eyes or the furrowed brow.  
“Even if you had a puck, you probably wouldn't have known it was me,” she continued, stepping past him onto the ramp, pausing only to rest a hand on his arm gently, a trickle of laughter lacing her parting words. “I could have made you the wealthiest man in the galaxy.”  
Still frozen in shock, the hunter watched her slip from sight as she was swallowed up by the shrubbery surrounding the clearing they'd landed in, snapping out of it only when the child released a distressed gurgle of discontent.  
“This is for the best,” he spoke gruffly, his voice coarse with uncertain emotion as he started walking with the foundling in tow, determinedly ignoring the child's unhappy little chitters of disagreement. “Come on. Let's find somewhere so we can refuel.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Won’t find better than this. Gila’s word.”   
“The Kubaz over there said the same thing. I’m inclined to trust his word more.”  
“Pssshhht!” the Arconan’s bulbous eyes pinched in distaste at the Mandalorian’s implication as she swatted a hand dismissively. “Kubaz wants your credits. Trust us. We’ll fill your ship with the best fuel on this planet. We’ll take you far.”  
Within minutes of wandering into the marketplace, cries heralding cheap fuel, cheap food, cheap booze and other goods and services had assaulted the bounty hunter in an overwhelming fashion. Ignoring many of the merchants who were highly unlikely to have what he needed, Mando explored his options with the merchants promising fuel for a decent price. When he stumbled on the Arconan, he felt like he’d hit the jackpot. A short trip back to the Razor Crest and he had all the currency he’d need to refuel and possibly even pick up a few parts for emergencies.  
“I’ll give you this much. It’s all I have.” It was a lie, and Gila almost certainly knew it, but the moment the Mandalorian produced the lump of salt from one of the pouches hanging by his side, she didn’t care.  
“If that’s all you have…”  
“I wouldn’t buy from her. She cuts the fuel with something that smells a lot like womp rat piss.”  
Behind the helmet, his eyebrows raised as one corner of his mouth crooked upwards, though his voice didn’t give away any hint of his amusement, nor of his relief to hear her voice again. “That so?”  
The Arconan scoffed again, trying to shoo the woman away with a shake of her hand. “She lies. We would never do such a thing. Give us the salt, see for yourself.”  
Tucking the lump of salt back in his pouch, Mando turned to look at the woman, gesturing for her to lead the way, ignoring Gila’s throaty curses as they walked away.  
“We only landed an hour ago. You have intel on the population already?”  
Tossing her head back with a twittering laugh, she shook her head. “I’m just observant. She wasn’t exactly subtle about it. The Kubaz may charge more, but at least your ship will make it off the surface of the planet without exploding.” She paused, hesitating mid-step as she looked behind them and frowned. “Where’s the child?”  
Blinking in confusion, he tossed a glance over his shoulder, skidding to a stop when his shadow appeared to be missing. “He was right there five minutes ago.”  
Exhaling a soft chuckle, she patted a hand to his arm and gestured back towards the Kubaz. “Get the fuel you need. I’ll see if I can find the little one. I’m sure he can’t have gotten very far.”  
“You’d be surprised.”  
Clearing her throat to disguise her laughter at Mando’s muttered comment, she adjusted her cowl around her throat, and ventured deeper into the marketplace, keeping her eyes low as she searched for the little green child, expecting to find him distracted by a food stall or perhaps by something shiny hanging from the vendors’ displays. She found herself thinking it would be easier if she had a name she could call out, shaking her head a little at the thought. When she’d taken the Mandalorian’s request for service, she’d never expected to keep bumping into him like this; she’d hoped to never see him again, but now it seemed she couldn’t escape him.  
Her ears pricked at the squawk of panic as she rounded a corner. Her eyes narrowed at the Twi’lek dangling the child by the leg, and her fingers twitched by her side as the instinct to draw her blaster nearly overrode her senses. Taking a breath, she cleared the fog of anger from her mind and planted her feet firmly, fists curled as she whistled to get the Twi’lek’s attention.  
“That’s no way to treat a baby you know.”  
The Twi’lek’s twin lekku twitched and twined subtly, conveying the threat with a lecherous grin. “I’m just taking a closer look at him. He looks like he could be quite tasty if you roasted him a little.”  
Expecting to hear another squeak of horror from the child, she pulled her blaster from its holster and aimed the sights directly between the Twi’lek’s eyes. Before she could even sound off a final warning, though, she noticed that the little foundling had closed his eyes and seemed to be at peace as he stretched a hand out towards his captor’s throat intently. Moments later, she heard a choking sound, and watched in awe as the Twi’lek’s eyes bulged from his skull, mouth agape as he gasped and battled for breath, before his grip on the child finally loosened.  
“Shab!” she hissed, throwing herself forward with arms outstretched to catch the green infant as he tumbled from his would-be abductor’s grasp, striking the dirt with her shoulder as she rolled to soften his landing, spluttering through the cloud of dust in the air. Her eyes were wide as she appraised him for any injuries, but the child simply gurgled and clapped his hands together proudly. “What are you?” Shaking her head, she pushed herself to her feet and brushed herself off, glancing at the Twi’lek still sucking in air like a nerf finding water after a drought. “Consider yourself lucky. I was going to add a ventilation shaft to your skull.”  
Thankfully, the altercation hadn’t attracted too much attention, and she was able to navigate the marketplace uneventfully until she was once again standing in front of the Mandalorian as he finalised payment for the fuel.  
“Is he okay?”  
“Well,” she glanced at the foundling in her arms, exchanging a knowing look as he grinned up at her impishly, “He ran into a little trouble with someone who wanted to eat him, but he had the situation under control.”  
Mando stiffened. “What do you mean, he had it under control?”  
“I mean, he appears to be gifted. He held out a hand and next thing I knew, the cretin was choking on his own spit or something.”  
The helmet shifted slightly as the hunter sighed and locked his gaze on the child as he cooed happily. “Yeah, he’ll do that.”  
She said nothing, but the crease at the bridge of her nose made it clear she had more questions that she couldn’t quite put into words. After a few moments of pensive silence, she simply shook her head, and passed the child back to Mando, pursing her lips as he immediately placed his foundling back on the ground.  
“You sure you want to do that after last time?” The bounty hunter didn’t respond. Instead, he lifted the child back up again with a sigh, eliciting a trickle of laughter from her lips. “He’s a handful.”  
Again, he didn’t respond, but his head tilted downwards with the tiniest nod of acknowledgement.  
“Maybe I can help,” she let the words escape almost beneath her breath, her features softening as she shrugged gently. “Every time I try to walk away from you, it’s like the universe is intent on us bumping into each other again. Maybe I should just resign myself to the fact that unless you leave me behind on this planet, we’re going to keep on intersecting. And I somehow don’t see you leaving me here.”  
“You can’t stay here.” The shake of his head was almost imperceptible, but the determination that strained at his voice was guttural and firm.  
“Well,” she started, before her voice was squashed beneath the torrent of shouts and stampede of footsteps drumming a path in every direction. Instinctively, both she and Mando drew their blasters, spinning to stand back to back as they surveyed the marketplace for the threat.  
Strutting towards them from the south-east corner, a man sneered gleefully at his intended quarry as the Twi’lek from earlier pointed them out with a smirk. “Arlyna. This is fortuitous. I’ve been looking for you.”  
“Shab,” she muttered, eyes narrowed as they peered down her blaster’s barrel with a puckered look of disgust, raising her voice as she spat, “Well now you’ve found me. Good for you. You won’t have to cough up the bounty after all. Of course, I’m not going to let you walk away from here alive, so it’s really a lose-lose scenario.”  
Shielding the child against his chest as much as possible, Mando hissed over his shoulder, “Who is that?”  
With a deep sigh, Arlyna’s face twisted with contempt. “My husband.”

**Author's Note:**

> Edited for spelling


End file.
